This present disclosure relates to a remote control apparatus and an electric apparatus for use with a communication system which includes an electric apparatus and a remote control apparatus which carries out radio communication with the electric apparatus, and a communication system.
Conventionally, a television receiver which can be connected to the Internet is available. For example, a technique is known wherein a signal including URL (Uniform Resource Locator) information of a network service relating to a television broadcasting program is multiplexed with and transmitted together with a television image signal and a television broadcasting receiver for receiving the signal establishes a connection to an access point corresponding to the URL through the Internet to receive data and outputs and displays a corresponding homepage to and on a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) (refer to Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 9-162818).
Meanwhile, another technique is known wherein a television receiver which can be connected to the Internet uses information recorded on an information recording medium such as an IC (Integrated Circuit) card to carry out various data processes on the Internet (refer to Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-67412).
In such a television receiver which can be connected to the Internet as described above, an IC card is brought to a position in the proximity of a reader/writer built in or externally connected to a television apparatus body, and information which is read out from and is to be written into the IC card is transferred through the Internet. For example, where a user downloads and enjoys a content such as a movie or a playing game, an IC card is brought to a position in the proximity of the reader/writer and information recorded in the IC card is sent through the television receiver to pay a purchase price of the content. On the other hand, when the user carries out a normal operation for a television receiver such as sound volume adjustment or channel changeover, an operation instruction is inputted to a remote control apparatus (remote controller) placed at a location spaced by a predetermined distance from the television receiver and is sent to the television receiver.
In this instance, although a normal operation instruction to the television receiver is inputted by operation of the remote controller, where an IC card is applied to the television receiver for purchase of a content or the like, the user must bring the IC card to the television receiver, and this is not good in convenience in use to the user.
Thus, it seems a possible idea to provide a remote control apparatus with a reader/writer which carries out reading out and writing of information from and into an information recording medium such as an IC card in order that a processing operation, in which the information recording medium is used, for payment of a price or the like through the Internet communication can be carried out using the remote control apparatus at hand at a position spaced away from a television receiver.
Incidentally, it may be a possible idea to communicate, between such a remote control apparatus (remote controller) and a television receiver which is a remotely controlled electric apparatus as described hereinabove, not only a remote control instruction but also a signal other than the remote control instruction (information which is read out from and is to be written into an IC card and so forth). In this instance, it is preferable that transmission and reception which include no waste in a communication path and a format and is simple and appropriate in processing can be carried out.